Worker selection system, worker selection method, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

ABSTRACT

In a worker selection system that selects a worker who performs restoration work on a device that failed, the system includes a failure information reception unit that receives failure information including information about a content of the failure and information about an identification of the device, a worker information storage unit that stores worker information including information about a failure handling ability of the worker and information about a location of the worker, an area information storage unit that stores area information about a setting area including a location of the device and changing depending on a setting, and a worker selection unit that selects, based on the worker information and the area information, the worker who has an ability to handle the failure and is present in the setting area as a candidate to be dispatched.

The present application is based on, and claims priority from JPApplication Serial Number 2021-098579, filed Jun. 14, 2021, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a worker selection system that selectsa worker who performs restoration work on a device that failed, a workerselection method of selecting a worker who performs restoration work ona device that failed, and a non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium storing a worker selection program, where the program cause acomputer to select a worker who performs restoration work on a devicethat failed.

2. Related Art

In the related art, a system for dispatching a worker to a device inwhich a failure has occurred has been known. For example, inJP-A-2006-106861 discloses the technology for selecting and determininga worker by taking into consideration the distance between the locationof the worker and the location of the work base where the device inwhich the failure has occurred is present, the experience of the worker,and the like to instruct the worker who can solve the customer's troublefaster to handle the trouble.

In recent years, from the viewpoint of infectious diseasecountermeasures, for example, it may be unfavorable for people to comeand go across prefectural borders. Under these circumstances, a user ofa device that failed may not want the worker to be dispatched from aspecific area. In addition to the restriction from the viewpoint ofinfectious disease countermeasures, for example, a device manufacturermay want to manage the dispatch source area of workers. However, theworker selection system in the related art does not consider such aproblem.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a worker selectionsystem of the present disclosure is a worker selection system thatselects a worker who performs restoration work on a device that failed,where the system includes a failure information reception unit thatreceives failure information including information about a content ofthe failure and information about an identification of the device, aworker information storage unit that stores worker information includinginformation about a failure handling ability of the worker andinformation about a location of the worker, an area information storageunit that stores area information about a setting area including alocation of the device and changing depending on a setting, and a workerselection unit that selects, based on the worker information and thearea information, the worker who has an ability to handle the failureand is present in the setting area as a candidate to be dispatched.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a workerselection method is a worker selection method of selecting a worker whoperforms restoration work on a device that failed, where the methodincludes receiving failure information including information about acontent of the failure and information about an identification of thedevice, and selecting, based on worker information including informationabout a failure handling ability of the worker and information about alocation of the worker, and area information about a setting areaincluding a location of the device and changing depending on a setting,the worker who has an ability to handle the failure and is present inthe setting area as a candidate to be dispatched.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, in anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a workerselection program, the program causes a computer to select a worker whoperforms restoration work on a device that failed, and causes thecomputer to execute a method, where the method includes receivingfailure information including information about a content of the failureand information about an identification of the device, and selecting,based on worker information including information about a failurehandling ability of the worker and information about a location of theworker, and area information about a setting area including a locationof the device and changing depending on a setting, the worker who has anability to handle the failure and is present in the setting area as acandidate to be dispatched.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a worker selection system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a failure restorationcondition table.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a worker basic table, a workerability table, and a current status table.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a setting area table.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process by a failure analysis unit in adevice of a user.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process by a handling determination unitin a manufacturer management server.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process by a worker selection unit in aworker selection server.

FIG. 8 is a diagram conceptually showing a positional relationshipbetween a failure-generating device and a selected worker.

FIG. 9 is a diagram conceptually showing a positional relationshipbetween a failure-generating device and a selected worker.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be schematically described. Aworker selection system according to a first aspect is a workerselection system that selects a worker who performs restoration work ona device that failed, where the system includes a failure informationreception unit that receives failure information including informationabout a content of the failure and information about an identificationof the device, a worker information storage unit that stores workerinformation including information about a failure handling ability ofthe worker and information about a location of the worker, an areainformation storage unit that stores area information about a settingarea including a location of the device and changing depending on asetting, and a worker selection unit that selects, based on the workerinformation and the area information, the worker who has an ability tohandle the failure and is present in the setting area as a candidate tobe dispatched.

According to this aspect, the worker selection system select, based onworker information including information about a failure handlingability of the worker and information about a location of the worker,and area information about a setting area that includes a location ofthe device that failed and that changes depending on the setting, theworker who has an ability to handle the failure and is present in thesetting area as a candidate to be dispatched, so that it is possible tosuppress the dispatch of the worker from an area unfavorable to the userof the device, the manufacturer of the device, or the like, and it ispossible to dispatch a suitable worker.

In a second aspect according to the first aspect, the worker includes amanufacturer worker who belongs to the manufacturer of the device and anon-manufacturer worker who does not belong to the manufacturer of thedevice.

According to this aspect, the worker includes a manufacturer worker whobelongs to the manufacturer of the device and a non-manufacturer workerwho does not belong to the manufacturer of the device, so that it ispossible to select a candidate to be dispatched from a larger number ofworkers and as a result, a more appropriate worker can be selected.

In a third aspect according to the second aspect, when thenon-manufacturer worker present in the setting area is allowed to handlethe failure by receiving remote support, the worker selection unitselects the non-manufacturer worker as the candidate to be dispatched.According to this aspect, when the non-manufacturer worker present inthe setting area is allowed to handle the failure by receiving remotesupport, the worker selection unit selects the non-manufacturer workeras the candidate to be dispatched, so that the non-manufacturer workercan be a candidate to be dispatched by supplementing the failurehandling ability of the non-manufacturer worker, and the range of workerselection can be expanded.

In a fourth aspect according to the third aspect, the worker selectionserver including the worker selection unit is allowed to transmitinformation about the worker selected as the candidate to be dispatchedto an information terminal of a user who is a user of the device, andthe information about the worker to be transmitted to the informationterminal of the user includes a remark indicating that the workerreceives remote support.

When the worker receives remote support, the worker may image thesurroundings of the device by using the camera, so that the imaging maybe unfavorable for the user of the device in terms of security. However,according to this aspect, the information about the worker transmittedby the worker selection server to the information terminal of the userincludes a remark indicating that the worker receives remote support, sothat the user who does not like the remote support can be notified ofthe remark, and it is possible to take the intention of the user intoconsideration.

In a fifth aspect according to any one of the first to fourth aspects,the setting area is an area set for infectious disease countermeasures.According to this aspect, since the setting area is an area set forinfectious disease countermeasures, it is possible to select theappropriate worker from the viewpoint of infectious diseasecountermeasures.

A worker selection method according to a sixth aspect is a workerselection method of selecting a worker who performs restoration work ona device that failed, where the method includes receiving failureinformation including information about a content of the failure andinformation about an identification of the device, and selecting, basedon worker information including information about a failure handlingability of the worker and information about a location of the worker,and area information about a setting area including a location of thedevice and changing depending on a setting, the worker who has anability to handle the failure and is present in the setting area as acandidate to be dispatched.

According to this aspect, the worker selection method includesselecting, based on worker information including information about afailure handling ability of the worker and information about a locationof the worker, and area information about a setting area that includes alocation of the device that failed and that changes depending on thesetting, the worker who has an ability to handle the failure and ispresent in the setting area as a candidate to be dispatched, so that itis possible to suppress the dispatch of the worker from an areaunfavorable to the user of the device, and it is possible to dispatch asuitable worker.

A worker selection program according to a seventh aspect is a workerselection program causing a computer to select a worker who performsrestoration work of a device that failed, and causing the computer toexecute a method, where the method includes receiving failureinformation including information about a content of the failure andinformation about an identification of the device, and selecting, basedon worker information including information about a failure handlingability of the worker and information about a location of the worker,and area information about a setting area including a location of thedevice and changing depending on a setting, the worker who has anability to handle the failure and is present in the setting area as acandidate to be dispatched.

According to this aspect, the worker selection program include a method,where the method includes selecting, based on worker informationincluding information about a failure handling ability of the worker andinformation about a location of the worker, and area information about asetting area that includes a location of the device that failed and thatchanges depending on the setting, the worker who has an ability tohandle the failure and is present in the setting area as a candidate tobe dispatched, so that it is possible to suppress the dispatch of theworker from an area unfavorable to the user of the device, and it ispossible to dispatch a suitable worker.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be specifically described. Inthe following, as an embodiment of the present disclosure, a workerselection system 50 will be described in which a device to be restoredis set as a recording device 1, and a worker who performs therestoration work of the recording device 1 when a failure occurs in therecording device 1 is selected. An examples of the recording device 1includes an ink jet printer that performs recording by ejecting ink,which is an example of a liquid, onto recording paper, which is anexample of a medium. The worker selection system 50 according to theembodiment includes a manufacturer management server 10 and a workerselection server 20. Of course, the worker selection system 50 is notlimited to such a configuration. For example, the manufacturermanagement server 10 and the worker selection server 20 may be the sameserver, or worker data 25 and area information data 26 included in theworker selection server 20 may be included in another server. Such amodification will be described later.

In order to explain the functions of the worker selection system 50, therecording device 1, a user terminal 40, and a worker terminal 30 will bedescribed in addition to the worker selection system 50. The recordingdevice 1, the manufacturer management server 10, the worker selectionserver 20, the user terminal 40, and the worker terminal 30 areconnected to a network 100 such as the Internet, and information can betransmitted and received between the any devices. Hereinafter, theconfiguration of respective devices will be described.

Recording Device

The recording device 1 includes a recording mechanism unit 5. Therecording mechanism unit 5 includes an ink ejection head (not shown) forejecting ink and a transporting unit (not shown) that transportsrecording paper. Further, the recording device 1 includes a controller2, a display unit 3, an input unit 4, and a storage unit 6. Thecontroller 2 includes a CPU, a volatile memory, a communication module,and the like (not shown). The controller 2 controls respective units,including the recording mechanism unit 5, of the recording device 1 byexecute various control programs stored in the storage unit 6, and alsotransmits/receives information to/from an external device. The storageunit 6 includes a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory. A failureanalysis unit 7 is one of the programs stored in the storage unit 6, andis executed by the controller 2. The failure analysis unit 7 will bedescribed later. The display unit 3 includes a liquid crystal panel anddisplays various pieces of information. The input unit 4 includesvarious setting buttons, and the user performs various operationsettings of the recording device 1 via the input unit 4.

Manufacturer Management Server

The manufacturer management server 10 is a computer terminal including acontroller 11, a display unit 12, an input unit 13, and a storage unit14. The manufacturer management server 10 is, for example, a computerterminal owned and managed by a manufacturer A of the recording device1. The controller 11 includes a CPU, a volatile memory, a communicationmodule, and the like (not shown). The controller 11 executes variousprograms stored in the storage unit 14 and also transmits/receivesinformation to/from an external device. The storage unit 14 includes astorage such as a hard disk. A handling determination unit 16 is one ofthe programs stored in the storage unit 14, and is executed by thecontroller 11. Further, the storage unit 14 stores restoration conditiondata 15. The handling determination unit 16 and the restorationcondition data 15 will be described later. The display unit 12 includesa liquid crystal display and displays various pieces of information. Theinput unit 13 includes a keyboard and a mouse (not shown), and anoperator belonging to the manufacturer A can input various pieces ofinformation via the input unit 13.

Worker Selection Server

The worker selection server 20 is a computer terminal including acontroller 21, a display unit 22, an input unit 23, and a storage unit24. The worker selection server 20 is, for example, a computer terminalowned and managed by a worker dispatching company D. The workerdispatching company D is a different from the manufacturer A. However,it goes without saying that the worker selection server 20 may be acomputer terminal owned and managed by the manufacturer A of therecording device 1.

The controller 21 includes a CPU, a volatile memory, a communicationmodule, and the like (not shown). The controller 21 executes variousprograms stored in the storage unit 24, and also transmits/receivesinformation to/from an external device. The storage unit 24 includes astorage such as a hard disk. A worker selection unit 27 is one of theprograms stored in the storage unit 24, and is executed by thecontroller 11. Further, the storage unit 24 stores the worker data 25and the area information data 26. The worker selection unit 27, theworker data 25, and the area information data 26 will be describedlater. The display unit 22 includes a liquid crystal display anddisplays various pieces of information. The input unit 23 includes akeyboard and a mouse (not shown), and an operator belonging to theworker dispatching company D can input various pieces of information viathe input unit 23.

Worker Terminal

The worker terminal 30 is a mobile information terminal including acontroller 31 and a touch panel 32, for example, a smartphone. Thecontroller 31 includes a CPU, a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, acommunication module, and the like (not shown). The controller 31executes various programs stored in the nonvolatile memory, and alsotransmits/receives information to/from an external device. The touchpanel 32 displays various pieces of information and accepts variousinput operations. For convenience of illustration, only one workerterminal 30 is shown in FIG. 1 , but practically, each of a plurality ofworkers has one worker terminal 30.

User Terminal

The user terminal 40 is a mobile information terminal including acontroller 41 and a touch panel 42, for example, a smartphone, which isowned by the user of the recording device 1. The controller 41 includesa CPU, a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, a communication module,and the like (not shown). The controller 41 executes various programsstored in the nonvolatile memory, and also transmits/receivesinformation to/from an external device. The touch panel 42 displaysvarious pieces of information and accepts various input operations.Process by recording device when a failure occurs

Subsequently, a process for the recording device 1 when a failure occursin the recording device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 .FIG. 5 shows the flow of the process when the controller 2 of therecording device 1 executes the failure analysis unit 7. When a failureoccurs in the recording device 1, the controller 2 of the recordingdevice 1 analyzes the content of the failure and acquires thecorresponding error code (step S101). The storage unit 6 of therecording device 1 stores the contents of the failure and the error codecorresponding to the contents as data, and the controller 2 acquires theerror code by referring to this data. Failure analysis is performedusing various sensors provided in the recording device 1 as needed. Inaddition, the error code is linked with a flag indicating whether thefailure can be handled by the user, and a flag indicating whether remotesupport for the user by the operator or dispatch of a worker isrequired, and these flags are stored in the storage unit 6. In addition,the error code includes a code that corresponds to a case where thecontent of the failure is unknown, that is, the failure cannot beanalyzed. In this case, remote support for the user by the operator ordispatch of a worker is required.

Next, when the content of the failure is a content which the user canhandle (Yes in step S102), for example, when it is determined that thepaper is out or the ink is out, the controller 2 displays user interface(hereinafter referred to as “UI”) for guiding the content of a failureand a method of resolving the failure on the display unit 3 of therecording device 1 (step S107). On the other hand, when it is determinedthat the content of the failure is a content which the user can nothandle (No in step S102), for example, it is determined that there is adefect in the electrical system or the life of the part has expired, theprocess proceeds to step S103. In step S103, it is determined whetherthe content of the failure is a content which the operator of themanufacturer A is required to handle. An example of the content whichthe operator of the manufacturer A is required to handle includes a casewhere the content of the failure cannot be determined in step S101, andthe operator has to directly hear the situation of the failure andacquire further information from the user in order to determine whetherto dispatch a worker.

When it is determined that the operator is required to handle thefailure (Yes in step S103), the controller 2 displays, on the displayunit 3 of the recording device 1, the UI that recommends the interactionwith the operator (step S108). This UI may be a message indicating, forexample, “A failure has occurred. The operator will contact you toresolve the failure. Do you accept it? (Y/N)”. When the user approvesthis request (Yes in step S109), the controller 2 of the recordingdevice 1 transmits the failure information to the manufacturermanagement server 10 (step S106). The failure information includes atleast the model number and the serial number of the recording device 1,the error code, and the failure occurrence date and time. The error codeand the failure occurrence date and time are an example of informationabout the content of the failure, and the model number and the serialnumber of the recording device 1 are an example of information about theidentification of the device.

When receiving the failure information, the operator of the manufacturerA refers to the company database to call the telephone number registeredas the contact of the user of the recording device 1 and hear the userof the recording device 1 about information about the failure from.Then, the operator determines whether it is necessary to dispatch aworker to restore the failure, and when it is necessary to dispatch aworker, determines the ability of the worker required to restore thefailure, and transmits the information to the worker selection server20. This corresponds to the operation to be performed by the handlingdetermination unit 16 to be described later being performed by theoperator of the manufacturer A.

Returning to step S103, when it is determined that handling by theoperator is not necessary (No in step S103), that is, when the contentof the failure is clear and it is necessary to dispatch a worker, thecontroller 2 displays, on the display unit 3 of the recording device 1,the UI for dispatching the worker (step S104). This UI may be a messageindicating, for example, “A failure has occurred. The restoration workby the worker is required to eliminate the failure. Do you accept thatthe worker is dispatched? (Y/N)”. When the user approves this request(Yes in step S105), the controller 2 of the recording device 1 transmitsthe failure information to the manufacturer management server 10 (stepS106). When the user does not approve the request in step S105, theprocess proceeds to step S108. Process by manufacturer management server

The controller 11 of the manufacturer management server 10 functions asa failure information reception unit that receives failure informationincluding information about the content of the failure and informationabout the identification of the device. FIG. 6 shows the flow of aprocess when the controller 11 of the manufacturer management server 10executes the handling determination unit 16. When the controller 11receives the failure information (step S201), the controller 11acquires, from the failure information, information about theidentification of the device, that is, the model number and the serialnumber of the recording device 1 (step S202), and then acquires an errorcode from the failure information (step S203). Then, the controller 11acquires the failure restoration condition corresponding to the errorcode by referring to the restoration condition data 15 (step S204) totransmit a worker selection request to the worker selection server 20(step S205). The request transmitted by the controller 11 to the workerselection server 20 includes the model number and the serial number ofthe recording device 1, the error code, the failure occurrence date andtime, the location where the recording device 1 is installed, and thefailure restoration condition.

Here, the acquisition of the failure restoration condition (step S204)will be described with reference to FIG. 2 showing a failure restorationcondition table T1 which is an example of the restoration condition data15. The failure restoration condition table T1 shown in FIG. 2 is setfor each model number of the recording device 1, and a required tool, arequired article, a required skill, and the like for restoring thefailure are set for each error code as shown in the figure. The set ofbasic tools in the required tool includes, for example, tools such as ascrewdriver and a plier. Examples of the special tool include astar-shaped screwdriver, a tester, and the like. Examples of therequired article include grease, screwing agents, adhesives, andreplacement parts for the recording device 1. Examples of the requiredskill include qualifications such as chief electrical engineer. As anexample, in the case of the error code A1004, the table shows that theset of basic tools and a special tool B are required as required tools,replacement parts a and b are required as required articles, and aspecific skill is not required. Such a restoration condition table T1can be appropriately modified and added by the operator of themanufacturer A.

Further, the failure restoration condition table T1 includes informationabout whether a non-manufacturer worker has an ability to handle thefailure or whether a non-manufacturer worker has an ability to handlethe failure with remote support. In the embodiment, the workers includea worker who belongs to the manufacturer A, that is, a manufacturerworker who has expertise in the recording device 1, and a worker whodoes not belong to the manufacturer A, that is, a non-manufacturerworker who does not necessarily have expertise in the recording device1. When the difficulty level of failure restoration is low, even anon-manufacturer worker can handle the failure, and based on the fact,in the embodiment, it is premised that the non-manufacturer worker isincluded as the worker. As a result, the degree of freedom of choice ofthe worker is improved, and the worker can be dispatched more quickly tothe place where the failure occurred. As a general rule, only themanufacturer worker can handle the failure when the work requires partsreplacement. In addition, when disassembling the device is involved, itis often the case that only the manufacturer worker has an ability tohandle the failure. Most of the work other than the above, such ason-site checking, cleaning, adjustment, and the like, can be handledeven by a non-manufacturer worker.

Even when a non-manufacturer worker cannot handle a failureindependently, the non-manufacturer worker may be able to handle thefailure by receiving remote support from the manufacturer worker. Forexample, in the case of the error code A1003, the non-manufacturerworker cannot perform the failure restoration independently, but canperform the failure restoration by receiving the remote support from themanufacturer worker. Examples of the remote support include text-basedsupport by e-mail, facsimile, and the like, voice-based support bytelephone call, voice and video-based support by video call, and thelike. In addition, when a non-manufacturer worker has a so-called smartglass, augmented reality (AR), that is, augmented reality technology canbe used to provide a perspective of the non-manufacturer worker withinformation necessary for failure restoration work. Which method is usedfor remote support depends exclusively on a device possessed by thenon-manufacturer worker, where the device is included in the worker data25 to be described later.

Process by Worker Selection Server

Next, the controller 21 of the worker selection server 20 functions as arequest information reception unit that receives, from the manufacturermanagement server 10, request information, specifically, the modelnumber and the serial number of the recording device 1, the error code,the failure occurrence date and time, the location where the recordingdevice 1 is installed, and the failure restoration condition. FIG. 7shows the flow of a process when the controller 21 of the workerselection server 20 executes the worker selection unit 27. Here, beforeexplaining the process shown in FIG. 7 , the worker data 25 and the areainformation data 26 stored in the storage unit 24 of the workerselection server 20 will be described. The storage unit 24 of the workerselection server 20 functions as a worker information storage unit thatstores worker information including information about a failure handlingability of the worker and information about a location of the worker.Further, the storage unit 24 functions as an area information storageunit that stores area information about a setting area that includes thelocation of the device having a failure and changes depending on thesetting.

FIG. 3 is an example of the worker data 25 and shows a worker basictable T2, a worker ability table T3, and a current status table T4 thatconstitute the worker data 25. Of these, the worker ability table T3includes information about a failure handling ability of the worker, andthe worker basic table T2 includes information about a location of theworker. First, basic information about the worker is registered in theworker basic table T2. Specifically, the worker ID, the name of theworker, the company to which the worker belongs, the location (the placewhere the worker works), and the contact are registered as shown in thefigure. The contact also includes, in addition to the telephone number,address information for transmitting information to the worker terminal30. Further, the tools owned by the worker, the articles owned by theworker, whether remote support can be accepted, the work history, andthe qualification owned by the worker are registered in the workerability table T3 as shown in the figure in association with the workerID. Since even a manufacturer worker may receive remote support from thecompany to which the worker belongs, information about whether remotesupport can be accepted is registered.

Further, the current location of the worker, the operating status, andthe date and time when a new request can be accepted are registered inthe current status table T4 as shown in the figure in association withthe worker ID. The current location of the worker, the operating status,and the date and time when a new request can be accepted are updatedfrom time to time by the worker inputting information into the workerterminal 30 owned by the worker and transmitting the information fromthe worker terminal 30 to the worker selection server 20. The currentlocation information can be automatically and periodically transmittedto the worker selection server 20 by the worker terminal 30 using apositioning system using a satellite.

Next, FIG. 4 shows a setting area table T5 which is an example of thearea information data 26. The setting area corresponding to the locationof the device that failed is registered in the setting area table T5.For example, when the location of the device that failed is in Xprefecture, the setting area is X prefecture, Y prefecture, and Zprefecture, so that the workers present in X prefecture, Y prefecture,and Z prefecture are selected as candidates to be dispatched. When thelocation of the device that failed is in V prefecture, the setting areais V prefecture, so that the workers present in V prefecture will beselected as candidates to be dispatched. The setting area table T5 isappropriately updated by the operator of the manufacturer A or theoperator of the worker dispatching company D. For example, when thesetting area table T5 is set from the viewpoint of infectious diseasecountermeasures, it is appropriately updated based on a self-restraintrequest regarding movement issued by the national or local governmentaccording to the spread of infectious diseases.

Next, the flow of a process when the controller 21 of the workerselection server 20 executes the worker selection unit 27 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 7 . When the controller 21 of theworker selection server 20 receives a worker selection request from themanufacturer management server 10 (step S301), the controller 21 selectsa worker who is present in the setting area and satisfies the failurerestoration condition (step S302). In this selection, as an example, thecurrent status of the worker grasped from the current status table T4(see FIG. 3 ) is not inquired, and based on the location of the workergrasped from the worker basic table T2 (see FIG. 3 ), and the failurehandling ability of the worker grasped from the worker ability table T3(see FIG. 3 ), a worker who satisfies the failure restoration conditionis selected. Instead of the location of the worker grasped from theworker basic table T2 (see FIG. 3 ), the current location of the workergrasped from the current status table T4 (see FIG. 3 ) may be used.

Next, the controller 21 of the worker selection server 20 creates acandidate to be dispatched list by sorting selected workers in the orderof the shortest estimated time to arrive at the device that failed basedon the current status of the worker grasped from the current statustable T4 (see FIG. 3 ) (step S303). The controller 21 calculates theestimated time for the worker to arrive at the device that failed basedon the date and time when the worker can accept the new request, whichis grasped from the current status table T4 (see FIG. 3 ), and furtherin consideration of the standard required time when the worker moves bycar to the location of the device that failed from the current locationof the worker.

The standard required time can be acquired by using, for example, aknown route search system. In the embodiment, the means by which theworker moves is limited to an automobile from the viewpoint ofinfectious disease countermeasures. However, when the public transportsystem is available, the means is not limited to this. At this time, themeans by which the worker moves may be registered in the worker basictable T2 (see FIG. 3 ), and the standard required time may be calculatedbased on the moving means. When using the public transport system, thestandard required time can be acquired by using, for example, a knownroute search system. Then, the controller 21 transmits, to the userterminal 40, the candidate to be dispatched list created (step S304).

The controller 41 of the user terminal 40 displays, on the touch panel42, the candidate to be dispatched list received. The informationdisplayed on the user terminal 40 includes information about the companyto which the worker belongs, the work location of the worker, theestimated visit time, and whether the worker receives remote support.The user of the recording device 1 selects a desired worker from thecandidate to be dispatched list displayed on the user terminal 40. Inresponse to this, the user terminal 40 transmits the worker selectioninformation to the worker selection server 20.

When the controller 21 of the worker selection server 20 receives theworker selection information (Yes in step S305), the controller 21transmits necessary information to the worker terminal 30 owned by theworker in charge (step S306). This necessary information includesinformation such as the request for failure restoration work, the modelnumber and the serial number of the recording device 1, the error code,the failure occurrence date and time, the location where the recordingdevice 1 is installed, the user contact, and the like.

The controller 31 of the worker terminal 30 displays the receivednecessary information on the touch panel 32. Further, the controller 31of the worker terminal 30 transmits, to the worker selection server 20,the remark indicating that the necessary information has been received.In the embodiment, it is basically assumed that the worker accepts thework when the worker terminal 30 receives the above necessaryinformation, but the worker may accept the work when the worker inputs,to the worker terminal 30, the remark indicating that the work has beenaccepted, and transmitting it to the worker selection server 20.Functions and effects of worker selection system

FIGS. 8 and 9 are diagrams conceptually showing the positionalrelationship between the worker selected by the worker selection system50 according to the present embodiment and the failure-generatingdevice, and the reference numeral As shows the setting area includingthe location of the failure-generating device. In FIG. 8 , both theworker A and the worker B are workers who satisfy the failurerestoration condition, and the worker A is closer to the location of thefailure-generating device than the worker B. However, since the worker Ais outside the setting area As, the worker A is not selected as acandidate to be dispatched, and the worker B inside the setting area Asis selected as a candidate to be dispatched.

Further, in FIG. 9 , both worker A and worker B are workers who satisfythe failure restoration conditions, the worker A has the skill torestore a failure independently, and the worker B needs remote supportfrom a manufacturer support staff member. The worker A is closer to thelocation of the failure-generating device than the worker B, but sincethe worker A is outside the setting area As, the worker A is notselected as a candidate to be dispatched, and the worker B inside thesetting area As is selected as a candidate to be dispatched.

As described above, the worker selection system 50 is a worker selectionsystem that selects a worker who performs restoration work on a devicethat failed, where the system includes a failure information receptionunit (the controller 11 of the manufacturer management server 10) thatreceives failure information including information about a content ofthe failure and information about an identification of the device, aworker information storage unit (the storage unit 24 of the workerselection server 20) that stores worker information includinginformation about a failure handling ability of the worker (the workerability table T3) and information about a location of the worker (theworker basic table T2), an area information storage unit (the storageunit 24 of the worker selection server 20) that stores area informationabout a setting area (the setting area table T5) that includes alocation of the device and, a worker selection unit (the workerselection unit 27) that selects, based on the worker information and thearea information, the worker who has an ability to handle the failureand is present in the setting area as a candidate to be dispatched.

Further, a worker selection method in the worker selection system 50includes receiving failure information including information about acontent of the failure and information about an identification of thedevice (step S301 in FIG. 7 ), and selecting, based on workerinformation including information about a failure handling ability ofthe worker (the worker ability table T3) and information about alocation of the worker (the worker basic table T2), and area informationabout a setting area including a location of the device and changingdepending on a setting (the setting area table T5), the worker who hasan ability to handle the failure and is present in the setting area as acandidate to be dispatched (step S302 in FIG. 7 ).

Further, the worker selection unit 27, which is a worker selectionprogram, is a worker selection program causing the worker selectionserver 20 to select a worker who performs restoration work on a devicethat failed, and causing the server to execute a method, where themethod includes receiving failure information including informationabout a content of the failure and information about an identificationof the device (step S301 in FIG. 7 ), and selecting, based on workerinformation including information about a failure handling ability ofthe worker (the worker ability table T3) and information about alocation of the worker (the worker basic table T2), and area informationabout a setting area including a location of the device and changingdepending on a setting (the setting area table T5), the worker who hasan ability to handle the failure and is present in the setting area as acandidate to be dispatched (step S302 in FIG. 7 ).

As described above, according to the worker selection system 50, it ispossible to suppress the dispatch of the worker from an area that isunfavorable to the user of the device that failed or the manufacturer ofthe device that failed, and dispatch a suitable worker.

Further, in the present embodiment, the worker includes a manufacturerworker who belongs to the manufacturer of the device to be restored anda non-manufacturer worker who does not belong to the manufacturer of thedevice. As a result, it is possible to select the candidate to bedispatched from a larger number of workers, and as a result, a moreappropriate worker can be selected.

Further, when the non-manufacturer worker present in the setting area isallowed to handle the failure by receiving remote support, the workerselection unit 27 selects the non-manufacturer worker as a candidate tobe dispatched, so that the non-manufacturer worker can be a candidate tobe dispatched by supplementing the failure handling ability of thenon-manufacturer worker, and the range of worker selection can beexpanded.

Further, when a non-manufacturer worker receives remote support, thenon-manufacturer worker may image the surroundings of the device byusing the camera, so that the imaging may be unfavorable for the user ofthe device in terms of security. However, according to this aspect, theinformation about the worker transmitted by the worker selection server20 to the user terminal 40 includes a remark indicating that the workerreceives remote support, so that the user who does not like the remotesupport can be notified of the remark, and it is possible to take theintention of the user into consideration.

Further, in the above embodiment, the setting area is an area set forinfectious disease countermeasures. This makes it possible to select anappropriate worker from the viewpoint of infectious diseasecountermeasures. Modifications

The above-mentioned embodiment can be modified as follows.

(1) The manufacturer management server 10 and the worker selectionserver 20 may be the same server, and in this case, one serverconstitutes the worker selection system. Further, both the manufacturermanagement server 10 and the worker selection server 20 may be owned andmanaged by the manufacturer A. Further, the restoration condition data15 included in the manufacturer management server 10 may be provided inanother server. In this case, the controller 11 of the manufacturermanagement server 10 acquires the restoration condition data 15 fromanother server. Further, either one or both of the worker data 25 andthe area information data 26 included in the worker selection server 20may be provided in the manufacturer management server 10 or anotherserver. In this case, the controller 21 of the worker selection server20 acquires the worker data 25 and the area information data 26 fromanother server.

(2) The worker data 25 may be divided into the data of the manufacturerworker and the data of the non-manufacturer worker. At this time, thedata of the manufacturer worker may be provided in the manufacturermanagement server 10 or another server, and the data of thenon-manufacturer worker may be provided in the worker selection server20 or another server. In this case, the controller 21 of the workerselection server 20 acquires the data of the manufacturer worker and thedata of the non-manufacturer worker independently.

(3) The setting area is an area set for infectious diseasecountermeasures in the above embodiment, but is not limited to this, andmay be set from the viewpoint of customer management reasons and workbase load equality, for example. More specifically, for example, it isconceivable to define the setting area so that the number of customerswhom one work base is in charge of is as uniform as possible. Thesetting area may be set by the user. In this case, the recording device1 may hold information about the setting area and transmit theinformation to the manufacturer management server 10 when a failureoccurs.

(4) Information about the qualification owned by the worker and whetherthe failure similar to the failure that has occurred was solved in thepast may be displayed based on the worker data 25 in the candidate to bedispatched list displayed on the touch panel 42 of the user terminal 40.Further, the gender of the worker, the user's evaluation of the pastwork, and the like as the worker data 25 may be saved and displayed onthe touch panel 42 of the user terminal 40.

(5) Costs incurred may be calculated and presented to the user for eachworker in the candidate to be dispatched list displayed on the touchpanel 42 of the user terminal 40. For example, it is possible to set theincurred costs higher for a worker dispatched from a greater distance,and set the incurred costs higher for a worker with a higher ability.

(6) When selecting a worker as candidate to be dispatched, it may bepossible to invalidate the selection of the worker based on the settingarea by the user setting. In this case, a worker as a candidate to bedispatched may be selected based on a factor that the user givespriority to, such as the time for the worker to arrive.

(7) When the user of the device does not own the user terminal 40, thecontroller 21 of the worker selection server 20 may transmit thecandidate to be dispatched list to the manufacturer management server10. In this case, the operator of the manufacturer A and the user of thedevice exchange information by using a communication means such as atelephone, and determine a worker to be dispatched.

(8) In the above embodiment, the recording device 1 is mentioned as anexample of the device, but the device is not limited to this, and ofcourse, the embodiment can be applied to the failure restoration work ofother devices, and can be applied not only to the restoration work ofthe device that failed but also to another work.

Further, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment,and various modifications can be made within the scope of the disclosuredescribed in the claims, and they are also included in the scope of thepresent disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A worker selection system that selects a workerwho performs restoration work on a device that failed, the systemcomprising: a failure information reception unit that receives failureinformation including information about a content of the failure andinformation about an identification of the device; a worker informationstorage unit that stores worker information including information abouta failure handling ability of the worker and information about alocation of the worker; an area information storage unit that storesarea information about a setting area including a location of the deviceand changing depending on a setting; and a worker selection unit thatselects, based on the worker information and the area information, theworker who has an ability to handle the failure and is present in thesetting area as a candidate to be dispatched.
 2. The worker selectionsystem according to claim 1, wherein the worker includes a manufacturerworker who belongs to a manufacturer of the device and anon-manufacturer worker who does not belong to the manufacturer of thedevice.
 3. The worker selection system according to claim 2, whereinwhen the non-manufacturer worker present in the setting area is allowedto handle the failure by receiving remote support, the worker selectionunit selects the non-manufacturer worker as the candidate to bedispatched.
 4. The worker selection system according to claim 3, whereinthe worker selection server including the worker selection unit isallowed to transmit information about the worker selected as thecandidate to be dispatched to an information terminal of a user who is auser of the device, and wherein the information about the worker to betransmitted to the information terminal of the user includes a remarkindicating that the worker receives remote support.
 5. The workerselection system according to claim 1, wherein the setting area is anarea set for infectious disease countermeasures.
 6. The worker selectionsystem according to claim 2, wherein the setting area is an area set forinfectious disease countermeasures.
 7. The worker selection systemaccording to claim 3, wherein the setting area is an area set forinfectious disease countermeasures.
 8. The worker selection systemaccording to claim 4, wherein the setting area is an area set forinfectious disease countermeasures.
 9. A worker selection method ofselecting a worker who performs restoration work on a device thatfailed, the method comprising: receiving failure information includinginformation about a content of the failure and information about anidentification of the device; and selecting, based on worker informationincluding information about a failure handling ability of the worker andinformation about a location of the worker, and area information about asetting area including a location of the device and changing dependingon a setting, the worker who has an ability to handle the failure and ispresent in the setting area as a candidate to be dispatched.
 10. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a workerselection program, the program causing a computer to select a worker whoperforms restoration work on a device that failed, and causing thecomputer to execute a method, the method comprising: receiving failureinformation including information about a content of the failure andinformation about an identification of the device; and selecting, basedon worker information including information about a failure handlingability of the worker and information about a location of the worker,and area information about a setting area including a location of thedevice and changing depending on a setting, the worker who has anability to handle the failure and is present in the setting area as acandidate to be dispatched.